2009 February | Holiday in Northern Portugal

Continuing with my occasional series of posts about life here in Covas and around about I should like to show you some images of Covas captured by our good friend Hjordis. These photo’s taken in 2008 and one as recently as last week really capture the essence of the village. The un - posed naturalness of the subjects and the spontaneous way that Hjordis has instinctively seized the initiative to make the best of a “photo opportunity” are tributes to the residents of this corner of the north of Portugal and to Hjordis talent and obvious love of her subject matter. Hjordis Gudbjornsdottir (originally from Iceland) and her husband Robin - himself a talented craftsman whose work with wood will be the subject of another post quite soon - have lived in Covas for several years. They are presently setting up a mini - gallery and working wood-craft venture in the village. This project is an expression of their admiration for the communities in which they have worked and lived in around the world - most particularly in Africa and the far east - and of what we all agree is an urgent need to sustain and nurture traditional crafts and knowledge. The gallery gives rare focus on the very local, exhibiting the works professional and amateur alike and gives us an opportunity to see at first hand the quality and beauty of African vernacular crafts. As great friends of Robin and Hjordis we are privileged not only to know them but also to experience a variety of Icelandic (mostly fish) delicacies - and corresponding hard liquor. Most of these are truly fantastic whilst some will probably take some getting used to. Add the gallery to the things you might want to see during your visit - its a fifteen minute walk - and experience some Icelandic hospitality. Below a small selection of photos which show some of the scenes and characters you may encounter if you are ever this way (thanks Hjordis for letting me show them).

Siân